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I thought I had a very badly swollen lymph node. The ENT told me it is my carotid artery. Why is it so hard and why can I feel it so easily?

Question:

For the longest time, I thought I had a very badly swollen lymph node. The ENT checked it 4 days ago and said what I’ve been feeling this whole time is my carotid artery, and that it’s just more prominent than most. Embarrassed by this, of course I didn’t ask very many more questions, just "so it’s normal for it to be hard like that?” He proceeded to say that I’m just different from most people. The thing is, over the last months I’ve been dealing with chest pain tightness, blurred vision, stomach problems, pain in my arms and legs. Now, I will say most of these things have started to fade away since I got a recommendation to take Calcium Magnesium for anxiety and probiotics for stomach issues. However, the hard “carotid,” “lymph node,” what-have-you is still there, and everyone seems to just think I’m crazy because I’m 23, young, healthy, and exercise. My maternal grandmother died of a brain aneurysm in her 30s-40s, so I don’t to keep getting dismissed, if it sounds like something obvious to a different doctor. Thankful for any answers I can get. Even if it’s “Yes, some people just have hard arteries to the touch.” I’m fine with that if it’s followed with a real explanation. Thank you!

Answer:

In some people the carotid arteries are easily felt in the neck simply because they are thin. In other people, the artery is easily felt because there is an aneurysm of the carotid artery. This is an unusual condition, particularly in a young person, but it can occur. Another cause for an easily felt carotid artery is a "tortuous carotid artery". Some people actually have a complete loop in their carotid artery. All of this is easily worked out by simply performing an ultrasound exam of the carotid arteries.